Manuel ‘Pete’ Smith, 73; psychologist who wrote self-help books

Manuel J. “Pete” Smith, 73, a psychologist and author of “When I Say No, I Feel Guilty,” the 1975 bestseller used in assertiveness training in schools and the workplace, died Saturday at UC San Diego Medical Center, his nephew Rich Cando said. Smith had been suffering from several ailments for months, and a specific cause of death was not given.

Smith followed up his first book with others in the self-help genre: “Kicking the Fear Habit” (1977), “Yes, I Can Say No: A Parent’s Guide to Assertiveness Training for Children” (1986) and “When I Say No, I Feel Guilty, Vol. II, for Managers and Executives” (2000). He published his last book, “Here Be Dragons” in 2002.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Jan. 27, 1934, Smith moved with his family to Hawaii as a child and witnessed the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. He moved again with his family to San Diego in 1950. After military service during the Korean War, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from San Diego State.

He moved on to UCLA, where he received his doctorate in 1966, worked as a research psychologist and taught clinical psychology until 1994. He also had a private practice and worked as a clinical psychologist for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.